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Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part IV]
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Hara Chiaki Married
November 16, 2010
Happier news for actress Hara Chiaki (36), who made a tearful announcement to the media yesterday. She revealed that she recently got married, while also talking about her ongoing battle with cancer. She said that she met her TV producer husband (37) on the set of a Fuji TV drama in 2007. When they started dating, she told him that she had undergone surgery for uterine cancer in February 2005 and was believed to have made a full recovery. But the cancer reappeared at the end of last year and she had her womb surgically removed in January.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Hara tearfully thanked her husband for having been hugely supportive throughout the ordeal. She said that due to the ongoing treatment and because she has to wear a wig and suffers from swelling, she doesn't wear a wedding ring and they have no plans for a wedding ceremony. She is scheduled to continue chemotherapy until May of next year.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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Hoshino Tetsuro Dies at 85
November 16, 2010
Songwriter Hoshino Tetsuro died of heart failure at a Tokyo hospital yesterday. He was 85. His funeral will be held in the central Tokyo district of Minami Aoyama on November 19. One of the most prolific lyricists of the postwar era, credited with more than 4,000 songs, Hoshino received multiple cultural awards for his contributions to the arts. He was chairman of the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers and honorary chairman of the Japanese Lyricists Association. Among his many hits, he penned the theme song for the hugely popular "Otoko wa Tsurai Yo" movie series and such enka classics as "Hakodate no Onna" (Kitajima Saburo, 1965), "365-ho no March" (Suizenji Kiyoko, 1968, photo right), and "Midaregami" (Misora Hibari, 1987).
After graduating high school, Hoshino went to work on a deep-sea fishing trawler. In 1952, while recovering from illness, he entered a magazine lyric writing contest. His work was recognized and he made his professional debut as a writer the following year. In his lyrics he portrayed the subtleties of human nature and the joys and suffering of life in a way that resonated with fans of enka ballads.
Source: www.japan-zone.com |
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Tokiko Kitagawa named 2011 Sanai Image Girl
Mon, November 15, 2010 (12:52pm EST)
On Monday, swimsuit company Sanai Mizugi held a press conference to unveil its 2011 image girl: 23-year-old fashion model Tokiko Kitagawa. Because this is the company's 10th year appointing the position, previous image girls including Azusa Yamamoto and Yukina Kinoshita also attended the event.
Since she is originally from Osaka, Kitagawa started out as a model in the Kansai region before moving to Tokyo earlier this year. She currently models for the magazine EDGE STYLE but also appears in fashion shows and other events.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Arashi breaks personal record with "Hatenai Sora"
Mon, November 15, 2010 (7:40pm EST)
Arashi's 34th single, "Hatenai Sora," is officially confirmed as the top single for this week. The single sold 572,000 copies, surpassing their previous personal record set by their debut song "A-RA-SHI" in 1999 (557,000 copies).
"Hatenai Sora" is the group's 30th number-one single. The only other artists who have reached that milestone are B'z and Ayumi Hamasaki. Arashi achieved it 11 years after their debut, ahead of B'z (14 and a half years) but slightly behind Hamasaki (10 years).
The song also marks Arashi's sixth #1 single for the year, setting a new record for male artists. The previous highest was five, set by The Checkers in 1985 and tied by L'Arc~en~Ciel in 1998. However, Arashi is tied with Ayumi Hamasaki among all artists, as she already achieved six in 2001.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Actress Sayuri Kokusho celebrates Y1 mil lottery win
Tuesday 16th November, 04:13 PM JST
TOKYO —
Actress Sayuri Kokusho, 43, reported on her blog this week that she took home a cool 1 million yen after winning the Japanese lottery recently. “You’re never going to believe this but I actually won the lottery!” she exclaimed in the entry.
Coincidentally, the actress posed for a photo with comedy duo, London Boots, that was tinted gold last month. In her blog, she said that the photo may have foreshadowed the win.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Yukina Kinoshita dispenses marriage advice
Wednesday 17th November, 05:43 AM JST
TOKYO —
TV celebrity and underwear model Yukina Kinoshita, 22, was the guest of honor at the 10th Sanai Swimwear Image Girl event in Tokyo this week as one of the company’s former “image girls.”
Kinoshita, who makes up one third of idol group Pabo alongside celebrities Suzanne, 24, and Mai Satoda, 26, was asked how she felt about the recent announcement that Satoda was in a relationship with Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles pitcher Masahiro Tanaka. She replied with a smile, “I already knew they were dating. I think they look great together.” On the subject of marriage she said, “I think we’ll leave that to them, right?”
Having recently got married to comedian Toshifumi Fujimoto, 39, Kinoshita was asked what the secret to a happy marriage was. She replied, “When you fight, the man should apologize.”
Meanwhile, Tokiko Kitagawa, 23, was chosen as this year’s 10th Sanai Swimwear Image Girl.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Chiaki Kuriyama to advertise new platinum jewelry range
Thursday 18th November, 03:27 AM JST
TOKYO —
Actress Chiaki Kuriyama, 26, has been chosen as the face of a new range of platinum jewelry by Ginza Tanaka, part of the Tanaka Kikinzoku Group. Kuriyama attended the product launch in Tokyo this week in a striking purple dress with a shining white platinum necklace and matching earrings. “You feel more confident when you put them on,” she said. “It makes me feel radiant.”
When asked if there were prospects of her putting a bauble on her ring finger, Kuriyama replied, “Not for a good while yet. I’m still a child. I’ve got a lot of growing up to do first.” Kuriyama has reportedly been dating actor Tetsuji Tamayaki, but the actress was tight-lipped on the subject.
TV commercials for the new jewelry range will air from Friday.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Sakura’s live “Blackness Cosmos” on 11/20 will be broadcasted on Sync Music Japan via USTREAM
November 16, 2010 by J!-ENT
Sakura’s live “Blackness Cosmos” on 11/20 will be broadcasted on Sync Music Japan via USTREAM!
Sync Music Japan, a project organized by Japan Association of Music Enterprises (JAME), Music Publishers Association of Japan (MPAJ), and the Federation of Music Producers Japan (FMPJ) in order to expand Japanese music market to a global scale, will be broadcasting Sakura’s live event “Cosmos Blackness” held on 11/20 (Sat) at Koenji ShowBoat in full cooperation of MySpace Japan KK (Shibuya, Tokyo), which manages the music entertainment SNS “MySpace” in Japan. This live streaming will be available on MySpace USTREAM, Sync Music Japan’s profile page, and NEXUS TV for everyone around the world to get to know J-rock better.
Sakura (Drs.) had been a member of L’Arc-en-Ciel since 1993 and after he left the band, he formed ZIGZO as the leader member in 1999. ZIGZO disbanded in 2002 at Akasaka BLITZ, leaving an incredible record for the number of audience. After this disbandment, Sakura joined Ken (L’Arc-en-Ciel) and Ein for S.O.A.P. and participated in nationwide tour lives and in an open-air rock concert in Shanghai for the first time. Has he not only participated in Creature Creature in 2009 and Rayflower in 2010, but also in many various lives, sessions and recordings. His activities other than as a drummer include production of MUCC from 2001 to 2006 and of SID from 2004 to 2009. His live “Cosmos Blackness at Koenji ShowBoat” on 11/20 is hosted by Sakura himself and the tickets are sold out. Thus, for those who cannot come to the live and the fans around the world, the full coverage live streaming of this live event will be available online.
?USTREAM live streaming available on:?
¦SYNC MUSIC JAPAN http://www.myspace.com/syncmusicjapan
¦USTREAM on MySpace http://www.myspace.com/msjustream
¦NEXUS TV http://www.nexus-web.net/tv/
?Live streaming begins :?
18:30 pm (Tokyo)
13:30 pm (Moscow)
11:30 am (Paris)
10:30 am (London)
5:30 am (New York)
2:30 am (Los Angeles)
?Event Info?
Date :11/20/2010 (Sat)
Venue :Koenji ShowBoat (Tokyo)
Open :18:00 / Start :18:30
Lineup: Sakura / Kaoru (singer) / IKUO (b) / YUKI (g) / RYO (g) / DEN (b)
CIRCUIT9 [Akita "C9" Tetsuya(vo)/araken (g)/Mitsuzono Shotaro(b)/Noda Yutaka(dr)]
Lion Heads[Hanayama Masaaki(vo)/Kobayashi Kaori(dr)/Yoshida Tooru(org)]
?Sakura Official MySpace ?
Sakura Official MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/sakurazawa
Source: www.nt2099.com/J-ENT |
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Morning Musume graduation concert to be broadcast live in 3D
Tue, November 16, 2010 (10:58am EST)
The final concert of Morning Musume's fall tour is going to be broadcast live in 3D on the Sky PerfecTV! network, it has been announced. As revealed earlier this year, the concert will be the graduation for members Eri Kamei, Junjun, and Linlin.
Sky PerfecTV! plans to broadcast the full concert on its 3D channel, from 6:30pm to 9:30pm on December 15. The network will later broadcast an edited 90-minute version in 2D on three channels on January 1, from 9:00pm to 10:30pm.
Incidentally, Morning Musume is releasing its newest single this week, titled "Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game."
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Hikaru Utada sings theme song for "Ashita no Joe" movie
Tue, November 16, 2010 (12:00pm EST)
According to U.Blog, the iPhone version of the EMI Music website has revealed some information about Hikaru Utada's song "Show Me Love (Not A Dream)." The website lists it as the theme song for the live-action "Ashita no Joe" movie, which stars Tomohisa Yamashita.
"Show Me Love" will be available as a chaku-uta and chaku-uta full starting on November 17 through Recochoku, while distribution through other mobile sites and PC will start a week later on November 24.
The "Ashita no Joe" movie will be released in Japan on February 11, 2011.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Ai Tominaga, Kazuaki Kiriya dating?
Tue, November 16, 2010 (7:11pm EST)
Fashion model Ai Tominaga (28) is reportedly in a serious relationship with photographer and director Kazuaki Kiriya (42). Based on statements from multiple sources, the two became acquainted through work. Since the start of this year, they have been seen together on multiple dates.
Tominaga married a Japanese patissier living in Paris in October 2004 and gave birth to a son in March 2005. However, they divorced in April 2009. Kiriya is also divorced, as he was previously married to singer Hikaru Utada (27) between September 2002 and March 2007.
Tominaga's agency said that she and Kiriya have been close for a while, though the statement was neither a confirmation nor denial of a romantic relationship.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Karina turns from hostess to teacher in "Misaki No. 1!!" drama
Tue, November 16, 2010 (7:25pm EST)
Actress Karina (26) will star in the NTV drama series "Misaki No. 1!!," adapted from Masato Fujisaki's manga of the same name. The show is being produced by the same team behind the hit series "Gokusen."
"Misaki No. 1!!" tells the story of Misaki Tennoji (Karina), the number-one hostess of a club in Roppongi. The "mama" of the club suddenly asks her to become a teacher for "only three months" at an elite high school, but her class consists only of troublemakers and problematic students.
The drama will air on Wednesdays at 10:00pm, beginning this January.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Yuko Fueki, Hidenori Tokuyama in Fuji TV's next daytime drama
Tue, November 16, 2010 (7:45pm EST)
 
Actress Yuko Fueki (31) has been given the lead in Fuji TV's new daytime drama series "Sakura Shinjuu." Her co-star is actor Hidenori Tokuyama (28), best known for his roles in "Kamen Rider Kabuto" and "Engine Sentai Go-onger."
Fueki is active in both Japan and Korea, where she made her television debut in 2001 under the name Yoo Min. Before this, Fueki has never had a starring role in a television drama in Japan.
"Sakura Shinjuu" is penned by screenwriter Takehiro Nakajima, who also handled the popular "Shinju Fujin" series in 2002 that aired in the same time slot. The story depicts the tragic romance between the adopted daughter of a sake brewer (Kunio Murai) and a brewery worker (Tokuyama).
The series starts on January 5, airing every weekday at 1:30pm.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Katsunori Takahashi stars as villainous cop in "Akutou"
Tue, November 16, 2010 (8:08pm EST)
TV Asahi has announced that Katsunori Takahashi (45) will star in a new drama series titled "Akutou: Juuhanzai Sousahan," scheduled for Friday nights at 9:00pm. Takahashi plays a police detective who is described as the "most powerful antihero ever."
The "akutou" ("villain") in the show's title refers to a fictional group of detectives on the Yokohama police force who will stop at nothing to close a case, even if it means committing blackmail, using violence, and deceiving their superiors. Takahashi plays Togashi, the leader of that group.
  
Togashi's associates include Kosuke Suzuki (35), Hiroyuki Hirayama (33), and Rina Uchiyama (29) as the sole female of the team. Kotaro Koizumi (32), Tomio Umezawa (60), and Hiroaki Murakami (53) have also been cast on the show.
  
"Akutou" premieres in January. S.R.S performs the show's ending theme song "Real Lie," while Korean girl group 4minute is providing a currently untitled tune for the show's opening theme. This is 4minute's first song for a Japanese drama.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Hikaru Utada concert to be screened live in 64 theaters
Tue, November 16, 2010 (8:45pm EST)
In addition to Hikaru Utada's announcement that her new song "Show Me Love (Not A Dream)" is being used as the theme for the live-action "Ashita no Joe" movie, she also announced on Wednesday that her concert on December 8 will be shown live in movie theaters throughout Japan.
Utada revealed in September that she is performing two concerts at Yokohama Arena on December 8-9, which are her last scheduled concerts before she goes on her planned hiatus at the start of next year. Advance tickets for the concerts were distributed by lottery on November 16, and Eiga.com reports that more than 150,000 applications were submitted. General ticket sales are scheduled to start on November 21, and on the same day, tickets for the theater screenings will also go on sale.
The December 8 concert will be shown on 69 screens in 64 theaters across the country, with about 20,000 fans predicted to attend. It is said to be the biggest ever live viewing in theaters for a music concert in Japan. All seats will be priced at 3,000 yen. More information is available from the Amuse and eplus websites.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Ayako Kawahara stars in Japan's first 3D drama series
Wed, November 17, 2010 (9:17am EST)
 
Fuji TV is producing Japan's first ever 3D television drama series, titled "TOKYO CONTROL." The show will star actress Ayako Kawahara (39) along with Saburo Tokito (52).
The drama's setting is the Tokyo Area Control Center (nicknamed "Tokyo Control"), which serves as the air traffic control center for Tokyo and surrounding regions. Kawahara plays one of the cool-headed controllers at the center. Although her job focuses on resolving various situations encountered by the aircraft, the show will explore the lives of the people at Tokyo Control.
The drama will be broadcast on one of Fuji TV's channels on SKY PerfecTV! 10 episodes are planned, with the first one set to air on January 19.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Charts: Arashi, Ikimono Gakari
Wed, November 17, 2010 (10:34am EST)
Arashi set a couple records this week with their latest single "Hatenai Sora," selling 572,000 copies. This easily put them in first place on the weekly charts, while popular electropop group Perfume settled for #2 with their new song "Nee."
Except for AKB48's "Beginner" at #6, the top ten consisted entirely of new singles. J Soul Brothers charted at #3, followed by Yusuke and Korean group KARA. Idol groups Berryz Koubou and Momoiro Clover were #7 and #8 respectively, while Ken Hirai and Alice Nine took the last two spots.
On the album charts, Ikimono Gakari's compilation album "Ikimono Bakari ~Members BEST Selection~" held onto the #1 spot for the second week in a row, adding 207,000 more copies sold. Its sales total after those two weeks is roughly 664,000, surpassing Kana Nishino to become this year's #1 female-vocal album. Overall, it is #2 behind Arashi's "Boku no Miteiru Fuukei."
New releases from Kiyoshi Hikawa and Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi landed at #2 and #3, while Ken Hirai also released a B-side collection to reach #5. The Cro-Magnons had the only other new album in the top ten, placing 7th.
On the DVD charts, Mr.Children's documentary "Mr.Children / Split the Difference" sold 115,000 copies in its first week to take the top spot in the overall rankings. In terms of the music DVD rankings, they now have 8 consecutive number-ones, setting a new record.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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"JIN" drama gets prime time rerun
Wed, November 17, 2010 (7:00pm EST)
The popular 2009 drama series "JIN" is already set to have a sequel next spring, but the original will be returning to the small screen for a special rerun broadcast. While television dramas are often rerun in afternoon time slots, "JIN" will apparently be the first to be rerun during "golden time" (7pm-10pm).
The original 11 episodes will be edited as a "director's cut" and trimmed to fit within 9 hours of broadcast. It will then be divided into two 4-and-a-half-hour episodes, to be aired nationally on December 27 and 28, starting at 7:00pm on both nights.
When it was first aired during the autumn of 2009, "JIN" was very well received. It recorded ratings of over 20% for several episodes, and the finale reached 25.3% ratings. The show has also won various awards, both in Japan and overseas.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Kazumasa Oda's "Jiko Best" ships 3 million
Wed, November 17, 2010 (8:12pm EST)
As further proof of his steady popularity, singer Kazumasa Oda (63) has just achieved a huge milestone. His compilation album "Jiko Best" now exceeds 3 million copies shipped, as of November 17.
Of course, Oda is not the first to reach 3 million with an album. Within the past decade, both Kobukuro and Hikaru Utada have done so (the latter multiple times). However, Oda is the first solo male artist to achieve that feat, and he is also the oldest at 63 years and 2 months.
"Jiko Best" has been selling well ever since its release in April 2002. It reached 1 million copies shipped after its first month, then reached 2 million in December 2004. In May of this year, it appeared on Oricon's weekly album charts (top 300) for the 400th time.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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